Wheel for road-vehicles.



E. W. THOMAS. WHEEL FOR ROAD VEHlCLES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24. 1912.

Patented May, 18; 1915.

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WHEEL FOR ROAD VEHICLES. APPLICATION manna. 24. 1912.

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'ri/l/lll/ Pateflted May 18, 1915.-

EDWARD WILLIAM THOMAS, OF LUTON', ENGLAND.

WHEEL FOR ROAD-VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 24, 1912. Serial No. 679,692.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that. I, EDWARD WILLIAM THOMAS,of 48 Chatsworth road, Luton, in the county of Bedford, England,engineers draftsman, have inve'nteda certain new and useful Improvementin and Pertaining to Wheels for Road-Vehicles, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to vehicle wheels of the kind in which thecontinuity of the rim or felly is interrupted by a gap, so thatthe twoends of the rim or the like so formed can be caused to approach orrecede from one another and thus produce a variation" in the peripheryof 'the rim; which is utilized to enable an external tire-carrying rimto be removed or applied.

The present invention comprises such a dividend rim having one or moregaps, and its principal characteristic is the employment of spokes whichare integral with the rim and the hub, and which, while approximating tothe rigid type, nevertheless possess a degree of resiliency sufficientto permit of the deformation necessary for the contraction of the rim,when it is desired to remove or apply'an external rimcarrying the tire.This resiliency is employed, according to my invention, either to causethe rim to tend to expand, or alternatively to tend to contract; in theformer case force has to be used to contract the divided rim whenrequired, and in the latter, to expand the said rim and so cause it toengage closely with the outer rim.

It is in the construction of the wheel to produce one or other of theabove actions, that the invention principally consists.

The invention in'its preferred form is applied to cast steel wheels.

In further describing my invention reference will herein be made to theaccompanying drawings illustrative of the same and to the referencenumerals thereon.

In these drawings Figure 1 is a side view (the central part only beingshown in section) of a cast steel wheel made according to one form of mypresent invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig. 1 with the tire removed.Fig. 3 is a section on O D E of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an elevation of half awheel according to a modification of my invention. Fig. 5 shows thismodification with the addition of a detail. Figs. 6 and 7 show aconvenient drawing the wedge or insertion block as hereinafterexplained.

I propose to manufacture a one piece wheel with a gap in itscircumference or rim 1. The spokes 2 are integral with the wheel rirn.1and the hub 3. 1 The gap is occupied by an insertion block .4, when thewheel is in running order, such block supplying the missing portion ofthe circumferen'ce. The ends of the wheel rim 1, which butt against thesides of the block 4, are flanged inwardly toward the wheel center asshown by 5,'and these flanges are bored and threaded to receive screwedbolts 6', 6 (or one alone might suffice) or equivalent means whereby theends of the wheel rim may be clamped against said block. The sides ofthe block 4, and the ends of the wheel rim are conveniently taperedinfla direction whlch will faciltate the insertion of the .lPatented May18, 1915. l

block laterally and allow for the distance between the ends of the wheelrim to be varied according to the extent to which the block 7 isinserted. The end flanges 5, 5 aforesaid are also radially inclinedtoward each other and the block 4 is wedge or keystone-shaped oneanother when the block 4 is removed-and thereby contract the peripheralmeasurement of the wheelrim. This will render the steel band 7 of thetire a loose fit and enable it tobe readily removed or applied. Thiswill be done at the exterior side of the wheel as a rule, which isusually fitted with a detachable protective flange 9 (Fig. 3). Thisflange when removed leaves the bedof the wheel rim 1 flush with theexternal edge, and the opposite or internal edge of the wheel rimcommonly has a. small upstanding flange 10 permanently upon it. Theflange blow given to the same if it should have firmly adhered to thewheel rim. Means may be provided as shown in Figs.

6 and? for driving or forcing the block 4 into position or for removingor adjusting the same. For this purpose, the block has athreadedtransverse hole 16 in it for receiving the threaded part of a bolt 17,the head 18 of which can be turned by a ratchet spanner or any suchdevice. A loose washer 19 may be added when driving the block in as inFig. 6, and a bridgepiece 20. is advisable for assisting in with-drawingthe block, as seenin Fig. 7. Any other alternative device might be usedfor actuating the wedgeshaped block 4:.

It is manifest that the wheel rim cannot contract without deformation ofthe spokes 2. It will be found that they can bend sufficiently when madeof cast steel, a movement of one sixteenth of an inch or so in eachbeing probably enough for the release of the band 7. For practicalpurposes they are rigid.

As shown in Fig. 1 the spokes are not truly radial when unexpanded, butlie along the lines at, w; consequently upon expanslon of the rim bymeans'of the wedge block l: above described, they increase in effectivelength in a radial direction as indicated by the lines 7 3 withoutbecoming stretched.

Furthermore, as shown by 12 in Fig. 3, they themselves have a slight Scurvature or any other permanent curvature of appropriate kind, which isadapted to provide suflicient compensatipn for the circumferentialvariation of the rim.

In Fig. 4: is shown a modification, according to which a convenientlylong hollow space 13 is left in the wheel rim at the point where eachspoke 14 joins it, so that some resilience may be afi'orded fortemporary purposes in the adjacent metal on either side of the head ofthe spoke. Should considerable' resiliency be desired, I can provide forthis, and yet preserve the rigidity of the wheel by supplying slightlytapered blocks 15, 15, for forcing into the gaps 13, as shown by Fig.5..

The cast-wheel can be formed by more than one method, and devised asalready mentioned either so that its rim will tend naturally to assumeits expanded condition, or so that it will tend to contract; the formerdepends on the casting of the wheels to a slightly larger diameter thanthat of the external rim within which it is destined to fit, after thegap has been formed; the difference is slight, but nevertheless thespokes may be cast slightly out of the radial line, so that the axes mayassume their radial position8, when fitted within the external rim; theother way depends on casting the wheel to a-slightly smaller diameter,and.

expanding it, when the gap is cut, by means of a wedge block, tothe-requisite degree; in this case the spokes maybe cast slightly out ofalinement as in the former instance. It will be obvious that in theformer inmeaeee stance, the ends of the divided rim will require to bedrawn together by force, in order to remove the external rim; and'thescrewed bolts 6, 6 may advantageously be utilized for such purposesafter the insertion block has been withdrawn of course. Convenientmethods of forming the wheels, when the spokes are not cast quiteradially will now be detailed. The rim of the casting may be cut throughand a wedge or block forced into the gap so as to make the; spokes morenearly radial, and the wheels trued up again. These screwed bolts mightpossibly be employed for expanding the wheel when of light construction.Cramps or other devices might be used instead of bolts. Where therim'normally tends to assume a contracted form upon withdrawal of theblock 4, it will in some cases be possible to dispense with the flanges5 and bolt 6, the inherent forces in the wheel sufiicing to contract therim and loosen the band 7 The internal stresses set up by the presenceof the wedge will cause the rim to contract as soon as the wedge iswithdrawn. In an alternative but similar method, the rim may be firstmade a loose fit for the tire (by turning in the lathe) and a gap cuttherein to receive the wedge for the purpose of expanding it. The rimcould, however, be made large enough in the first instance, ifpreferred, and the gap made in it, so that as already explained, itcould be forcibly contracted. To insure bending with true circularity,the rim is conveniently made thickest at that part remotest from the gap(as clearly seen in Fig.

that part remotest from the gap which breaks its continuity, a hub,spokes integral with the hub and the rim, and means for causing said rimto expand or contract, said spokes yielding sufiiciently to permit ofthe necessary change in confirmation of the rim.

2. A road vehicle wheel comprising a discontinuous rim whose diametercan be varied, and which has hollow spaces adjacent to its junction withthe spokes in order to facilitate the contraction or expansion of therim, a hub and spokes integral with the hub and the rim and capable ofyielding sufficiently to permit of the change in "conformation of thelatter.

n to v 8. A road vehicle wheel comprising a dis varied and whosegreatest thickness is at continuous rim whose diameter can be that partremotest f1- o m the :gap which varied and whose greatest thicknessv isat breaks its continuity, a'hu'b, spokes integral that part 'remotestfrom" the gap which with both the hub and the rim, said sp'okes 5breaksfits continuity, a hub, spokes integral having an S curvature andtending normally 2: with 'both the hub and the rim, said spokes toremainina bent iositiombpt being adapt-' being so proportioned 1 thatthey nonnally ed to yield'under t e forcible expansion of tend toremailrin a somewhat bent position the rim, andmeans for causing saidrim to but will tend to straighten under theiorcible expand, 'said'ek'Tfi1e1aiiigeuficient1 to 1 expansion'oithe rim, and means for causm,permit of the necessary change in conforma IS sald'rim' to expand, saidspoke s'yielding su tion of the 'ficiently to permit ofthe necesai'ychange in v EDWARD THOMAS.- confcrmation of the rim. Witnesses: 4 .4.Ar'oad vehicle wheel comprising a' H. D. Jam-son, g

16 continuonswhose diameter JomrfPAm. Bmcx,

